An Embarrassing Savior
by WeirdLittleStories
Summary: When Spock is attacked by a creature that kills telepaths by consuming the energy of telepathic minds, Kirk tries many things to save him.
1. Chapter 1

The current mission had seemed completely routine until Spock collapsed.

The _Enterprise _was transporting Ambassador Chan and her staff to Starbase Eleven, and while Kirk was never thrilled with providing taxi service, Ambassador Chan was less arrogant than most Federation dignitaries, making her a more pleasant guest than many they'd had. Kirk had personally given the Ambassador and her secretary a tour of the ship, and all of the senior officers had dressed in their finest for a fancy dinner in her honor, which had gone well. It was customary to take honored guests to the Observation Deck after dinner, and the entire group had just reached it when Spock suddenly passed out.

McCoy dropped to his knees beside Spock and examined him as the others watched.

"Well?" Kirk asked.

"His heartbeat's strong, and his breathing is regular. I can't tell you more without instruments," McCoy said. "Help me get him to Sickbay."

Kirk picked up Spock's shoulders while Sulu grabbed his feet, and the two of them carried Spock quickly and carefully to Sickbay, depositing him on a biobed. Alarmed by the sudden collapse, everyone else trailed along behind them, no one quite having the presence of mind to dismiss the Ambassador and her secretary.

As Kirk waited anxiously by the bed and the others stood quietly in the background, McCoy performed a quick examination. The doctor found only that Spock was deeply unconscious, which they already knew. He was just beginning a longer and more thorough examination when Matt Hanson, the Ambassador's secretary, began to laugh.

"Examine him all you want," Hanson said, "You won't be able to do anything for him."

"You know something about this?" Kirk demanded.

"I've given him a Rigelian mindworm. They _eat_ telepathic minds, and it'll gobble up your Vulcan until there's nothing left."

"Explain!"

"Rigelian mindworms are non-corporeal and survive solely on energy — telepathic energy — which they consume until there's nothing left of the mind that produces that energy. They aren't dangerous to humans, because WE aren't telepathic, so it won't hurt anyone else on the ship, only your First Officer. But once it's eaten his mental energy, your Vulcan will be very, very dead."

"What can be done to save him?"

"I won't tell you. And you can't get it out of me because your telepath is unconscious, and he's going to stay that way."

Kirk looked fierce. "There are other ways of making a man talk."

Hanson laughed. "There are, but YOU won't use them. The Federation prohibits torture, because we're all good little boys and girls nowadays. We can't wipe out the Klingons or exterminate the Romulans because those Vulcan pacifists have cut off Earth's balls. We'll see some changes once all the Vulcans are dead."

"Even if you succeed in killing my First Officer, there are billions of Vulcans. Killing just one won't make any difference."

Hanson's eyes took on the fanatic glaze that Kirk had already seen in far too many faces, on far too many worlds. "This is just the test case. My people have figured out how to breed Rigelian mindworms in captivity, and now we can breed billions of them and wipe out all the pointy-eared pacifists."

Kirk gestured to Sulu and Chekov. "Put this piece of shit in the brig before I bring about that uncivilized future he wants so badly." Sulu and Chekov marched Hanson off to the brig as Kirk turned back to McCoy. "Bones! Now that you know what it is, can you do something?"

McCoy shook his head. "I"m sorry, Jim. I've never heard of a way to reverse the effects of a Rigelian mindworm."

"There must be something you can do! Hanson swore there was something you could do."

"We don't know that he was telling the truth, Jim. He may have said that just to wind you up."

"We can't just stand here and let some ... THING destroy Spock's mind."

McCoy sighed. "Come up with a sensible treatment, and I'll be glad to apply it, but Rigelian mindworms are so rare that I'd thought they were nothing but a rumor up till now. Dealing with telepathic creatures just isn't something I've been trained to do."

Kirk looked at McCoy sadly. "No, it isn't, is it? That's always been Spock's job. But now we don't have Spock."

"Captain," Ambassador Chan spoke. "I can't tell you how sorry I am that such evil has been perpetrated by a member of my staff. If there's anything I can do..."

Kirk looked at the Ambassador. "Yes, there's something you can do. Find out all you can about Matt Hanson. You had to have investigated his background before taking him on as your secretary; dig out that information now. Who does he listen to? Who holds his leash? Is there anyone who can talk him into divulging the secret for getting that mindworm off of my First Officer?"

Ambassador Chan nodded gravely. "You can be sure I'll try, Captain," she said, before leaving in the direction of the guest quarters.

"Captain," Scotty said once the Ambassador had left, "If that bastard's so fond of violence, maybe we should give 'im some to make him talk!"

Kirk put a hand on Scotty's shoulder. "I want to, too, Scotty, but you know we can't. Our principles don't mean anything if we throw them away at the first sign of trouble."

"Torture is always wrong, Scotty," Uhura said. "You know that. Why, Spock would be the first person to tell us that."

Scotty hung his head. "Aye."

Kirk dropped his hand from Scotty's shoulder. "Get some rest, both of you. If Mr. Spock is out of commission, I'll be leaning on both of you even more than usual. Sleep while you can."

Uhura looked sadly at Spock, unconscious in the biobed. "I'm not sure any of us will be able to sleep, Captain, but we'll get out of your hair at least. Come on, Scotty." The two of them left Sickbay.

Kirk moved to Spock's bedside and put a hand on his First Officer's forehead. "I can't believe there's something in here, consuming everything that makes him Spock." He looked at McCoy, tears in his eyes now that they were alone. "How can there be nothing we can do?"

"We could comm Sarek or T'Pau, see if they know of any way to defeat Rigelian mindworms."

Kirk nodded. "Do it." McCoy went into his office and placed the call, while Kirk paced back and forth beside his First Officer's bed, talking to the Vulcan, even though he knew Spock couldn't hear him. "You're not just the only telepath on board this ship, you're also the Science Officer. Even if you weren't telepathic, I'd turn to the Science Officer for information about Rigelian mindworms. It isn't just my First Officer who's out of commission, it's my Science Officer, too." He paused and thought. "First Officer AND Science Officer. Vulcan AND human." He turned to face the door of McCoy's office and shouted. "Bones!"

McCoy came back into the room. "I called Sarek, and the Vulcans can't help; they don't know of any way to get rid of a Rigelian mindworm once it's attached itself to a host."

Kirk waved his hand, brushing that aside. "Thanks for making the call, but that's not what I wanted to see you about. Bones! Spock is _half human."_

"Yeah, so?"

"This thing attacks Vulcans! Can we bring the human part of his mind to the fore, get that part of him to work with us on getting rid of the mindworm?"

"Jim, it doesn't work like that. He's not divisible into halves; he's Spock all the way through. His brain doesn't have a human lobe and a Vulcan lobe; you can't separate him into portions."

Kirk stared at him. "You're the one who's always reminding him that he's half human. You talk about his human half all the time, as if it _is _a separate piece of him."

"I know I have, and I've been wrong. This crisis has shown me that. But ... a Georgia boy knows all about mules. Do they still have mules in Iowa?"

"Our farm was heavily mechanized; the only animals we had were pets, and no, we didn't have any mules among them. Why?"

"Well, a mule is a cross between a horse and a donkey. A mule lives longer than a horse, and they're hardier and more sure-footed. But they're faster than donkeys, more intelligent, and less obstinate."

"So?"

"So a mule isn't a horse's head on a donkey's body. It doesn't have the forelegs of a horse and the hind legs of a donkey; a mule is 100% MULE."

"You're saying that Spock isn't half human and half Vulcan; he's 100% Spock."

"That's right."

"Well, maybe so, but knowing that doesn't give me any options. Treating him as half and half gives me a plan."

"What plan?"

"We call to his human side, get that side to wake up if we can, get it to help us figure out how to get rid of the mindworm."

McCoy shook his head. "I don't have a better plan, so I guess I got nothing to say."

"Get Nurse Chapel in here," Kirk said, then turned to the bed where Spock lay so quietly.

Nurse Chapel entered the room, and Dr. McCoy quietly filled her in on Spock's condition and Kirk's plan.

Kirk pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed, grabbing Spock's hand and holding it while he talked to him. "Spock, it's Jim. I need to talk to your human half. Remember during the Psi 2000 virus, when you told me you felt ashamed because you felt friendship for me? Remember when I told Garth that you and I were brothers, and you agreed with me? Feel my hand, think about all we've been through together. We're good friends even though Vulcans don't really believe in friendship!" He looked up. "Nurse Chapel!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Spock will die unless we can get his human half to take over. Will you kiss him for me?"

"Jim," McCoy said, "He's not Sleeping Beauty. You're grasping at straws."

"Yes," Kirk said, "And I'm going to keep ON grasping at straws until one of them works or until Spock is dead." He turned to Nurse Chapel. "Christine? You don't mind, do you?"

Christine Chapel swallowed and shook her head. "No. No, I don't mind." She leaned over Spock and gently kissed his unconscious lips.

McCoy took another reading. "He's not as deeply unconscious as he was, but he's still too far down to be close to waking up. Have you got anything besides the hand of a friend or the kiss of a crush?"

"Bones," Kirk said. "I've heard that chocolate gets Vulcans drunk, that it's an intoxicant for them, the way alcohol is for us."

"I've heard that too," McCoy said, "But I don't know if it's true or if it's just a rumor."

"Can you give him chocolate intravenously? Can you get his Vulcan half drunk?"

"I don't know what the active ingredient in chocolate is for a Vulcan, if there's an active ingredient at all, and I can't put chocolate into an IV."

"No, Doctor," Nurse Chapel said, "But we can feed him plain chocolate using a nasogastric tube."

"I guess it's worth a try," McCoy said. "I'll insert the tube; you find some chocolate."

"Yes, Doctor," Nurse Chapel said.

McCoy deftly inserted a tube through Spock's nose and into his stomach, and Nurse Chapel returned with chocolate that she'd ground up and mixed with water, forming a chocolate slurry.

"I have no idea of the dosage," McCoy said.

"If you get him good and drunk, there's no harm done," Kirk said, "But if this doesn't work, he dies."

"Right," McCoy said. "I'll try 200 grams, then." He fed Spock the chocolate slurry, then turned to Kirk. "This isn't like a hypo; since it has to be digested, it won't work instantly." He removed the tube and gently wiped off Spock's face.

"Then let's continue with the other plan while we wait for the chocolate to digest. Christine, can you kiss him again?"

"I can," she said, "But there's only one time when he's ever seemed attracted to me, whereas you and he are close. Maybe you should be the one kissing him?"

"If I thought it would save him, I would." Kirk thought for a moment. "I guess we're trying everything possible." He bent over Spock and kissed him, a bit disconcerted at kissing someone unconscious but trying to ignore that and make the kiss as strong a call to Spock's human half as he could. He straightened up and looked at his friend's unconscious face, then turned to McCoy. "Maybe you should insult him."

"You sure that wouldn't make him want to stay unconscious?"

"No, he'll want to have the last word. Give it your all."

McCoy looked at Spock, unable to find the insults that usually came to his mind so readily, now that his friend was unconscious, maybe dying. He seized on the most recent idea. "Only a damned Vulcan could get drunk on something as innocuous as chocolate. What a lightweight! Human children can eat twice this much and only get tooth decay."

Spock's eyelids fluttered, and Kirk motioned to Chapel and McCoy. "More," he said urgently, as he grabbed Spock's hand and squeezed it hard.

Christine pressed another gentle kiss to Spock's lips while McCoy continued speaking, "My daughter can eat twice this much chocolate and still have room for dinner!"

Spock opened his eyes. "You have successfully anesthetized the telepathic centers of my brain, and the creature has departed. Thank you, Dr. McCoy."

"It was Jim's idea."

Spock sat up and inclined his head graciously. "Thank you, Jim."

Kirk looked at him suspiciously. "You don't sound drunk."

"I am, I believe, slightly tipsy. The effect should wear off soon."

"You know what's never gonna wear off?" McCoy asked.

"What, Doctor?"

"The knowledge that you were saved by your human half."

"Indeed. It is the first time my human half has ever proved useful." Spock raised a brow. "Undoubtedly, it will also be the last."

Kirk laughed. "You're a mean drunk, Mr. Spock!"

Spock, aware that he was being teased, pretended to look affronted, and his friends laughed in relief to see him alive and well and only slightly drunk.

.

* * *

_To be continued (Spock is okay, but there are conspirators to find and a plot to foil.)_

I like the era of the TV show better than the era of the movies, so like most of my stories, this one takes place during the first five-year mission.

.


	2. Chapter 2: Planning

Sickbay, only a few minutes later:

Now that Spock was conscious, Kirk watched as McCoy examined the Vulcan and pronounced him healthy. Spock got out of the biobed and stood beside it, looking at his two friends. "Perhaps you could tell me what transpired while I was unconscious," he said.

Kirk said, "We were giving the Ambassador and her secretary a tour of the ship when you collapsed on the Observation Deck. McCoy couldn't tell what was wrong with you, even after we got you to Sickbay."

"You should not blame the doctor for his inability to detect the mindworm," Spock said. "Rigelian mindworms are not detectable by normal sensors and can only be detected by telepathic minds."

"By _normal_ sensors," Kirk said. "Does that mean that you can adjust the sensors to pick them up?"

Spock shook his head. "Negative. No sensor setting known to me can register the existence of a mindworm. I deduce, however, that such a sensor must have been invented, along with several other managing techniques, in order for a mindworm to be used as an instrument of assassination."

Kirk smiled fondly. "You've been unconscious since this whole thing began, you're drunk on chocolate, and you're still thinking rings around everyone else."

Spock raised a brow. "It is merely my duty as Science Officer, to monitor advances in sensor technology and to evaluate the probabilities associated with recent events." He paused. "How did you discover the existence of the mindworm? Has the perpetrator confessed?"

"Confessed, gloated, and all but twirled his mustache, like the villain in a bad holovid," McCoy said grumpily.

"It was the Ambassador's secretary, then?" Spock asked.

Kirk nodded. "He's a fanatic, one who blames Vulcan pacifism for the Federation's moderate stance in foreign affairs. He seems to think that if he can somehow exterminate all Vulcans, the Federation will declare war on the Klingon and Romulan Empires."

Spock look troubled. "If he and his co-conspirators have discovered novel techniques for the propagation and management of Rigelian mindworms, he may well succeed in decimating Vulcan. And if should manage to make the attack on Vulcan appear to come from the Klingons or the Romulans, he could well begin the war he appears to desire."

McCoy made a sound of disbelief. "But there are billions of Vulcans, Spock! Maybe he could pick off one or two, or even a hundred, but Vulcan as a whole should be in no danger."

Spock shook his head. "Vulcan has been in no danger until now because Rigelian mindworms are exceedingly rare and because they do not possess the ability to travel through the vacuum of space. If mindworms are being deployed as a weapon, however, then the conspirators must have developed mechanisms for their propagation and transport."

"Hansen did say that his people had figured out how to make mindworms breed in captivity," Kirk said.

Spock looked intently at Kirk. "Then Vulcan is in grave danger. There is no known defense against a mindworm, nor is there any known treatment. A single mindworm can consume the minds of an unlimited number of telepaths. The sole factor that has permitted Vulcan to remain free of mindworms is that it requires 1.57 days for for the creature to completely consume its host."

"If there's no defense and no treatment, what good does a day and a half do you?" McCoy asked.

Spock drew himself up stiffly, knowing how the doctor would take what he was about to say. "The time allows the sufferer to be discovered, placed into a capsule, and launched into space. Once the mindworm has finished consuming the mind of its host, it finds no further sustenance, nor can it travel further. It is effectively neutralized."

McCoy looked outraged. "Your cold-blooded race condemns sick people to death and launches them into space, to die alone?"

"No, Doctor. It is the mindworm that condemns the sufferer to death. My race merely takes the only logical course of action. We remove a dangerous predator from our planet, so that it does not prey upon others." McCoy opened his mouth to speak, and Spock held up a hand to silence him, continuing on. "The host would request to be launched into space, if he or she were conscious, in order to spare others a similar fate. Retaining the host on the planet serves no useful purpose; launching the sufferer into space does."

"I've got a more important consideration," Kirk said. "Where is the mindworm that was preying on Spock? We can't detect it, so how can we be sure it's gone?"

"Sensors cannot detect it, but a telepathic mind can. Once the chocolate has been purged from my system, I should be able to detect any mindworms in the vicinity. I do not doubt, though, that this one has exited the ship. Although they feed upon telepathic energy, mindworms are not, themselves, intelligent. The mindworm does not possess the necessary mental capacity to plan or reason, so it will not have deduced your stratagem and decided to wait nearby for the effects of the chocolate to dissipate. Once it could no longer detect telepathic energy in my brain, it would have moved on."

"But how do we know that it didn't move on just to the next room or to the bridge?" McCoy asked.

"Mindworms have a characteristic movement pattern, and the creature who attacked me would have continued in that pattern until it encountered another telepathic mind or until it perished in the vacuum of space. Given its usual pattern and rate of speed, the parasite should have exited the ship while the doctor was still examining me. I will, of course, survey the ship to confirm this once my telepathic centers are again active."

"Yes," Kirk said, "I think that will be the first order of business once your telepathy comes back online. But the second order of business will be to meld with Hansen, to get what he knows of the plot against you and against Vulcan."

"I doubt that Mr. Hansen will consent to such a procedure," Spock said.

"I don't care if he agrees! He's trying to decimate a Federation planet and start interstellar war; as far as I'm concerned, he's given up all rights to privacy."

Spock shook his head. "Forcing a meld on an unwilling participant is a serious matter, and it is only ethical to do so in rare circumstances."

"Hansen confessed, Spock!" McCoy said. "He admitted that he set the mindworm on you deliberately. He was gloating."

Spock looked at Kirk. "You, also, witnessed this confession?"

"I did. You can meld with me, if you want to, and see his confession for yourself."

"Thank you, Captain. Once I am again capable, I will do so. I have complete faith in your testimony, but Vulcan law governing involuntary telepathic contact is strict — as it should be — and I will need to experience his confession for myself."

Kirk smiled. "No offense taken. I thought it might be something like that."

The door to Sickbay swished open, and all three men turned to greet Ambassador Chan as she entered the room. She stopped in surprise as soon as she saw Spock apparently well and conscious.

"Mr. Spock! I'm happy to see you awake and aware. Are you ... undamaged?"

Spock inclined his head graciously. "Thank you, Madam Ambassador. I am well and should suffer no long-term ill effects. I merely require a period of meditation to restore my telepathic energy."

"That's very good news! I can't express how sorry I am that the perpetrator of this atrocity is someone I brought on board the _Enterprise_. You will have my full cooperation in testifying against him when he's brought to trial."

Kirk smiled at the ambassador. "Thank you, Ambassador; we all appreciate that. Did you manage to find the information I asked for on Hansen?"

"Yes, Captain. I hired him eight months ago, and a routine background check turned up no questionable associations. He did have an unfortunate experience in his recent past, but he told me about it during the interview, and it seemed like a good reason to have him on the staff, not a reason why he'd attack a Starfleet officer."

"What experience is that?"

"Hansen's wife was a Federation physician. During the Aldebaran civil war, she was part of an expedition to that planet to pick up some plant specimens that were needed to combat a plague on Fornax. The Southern faction took her hostage in an attempt to get the Federation to side with them during mediation. The Federation ambassador in charge of the mediation reminded the Southern faction that it is Federation policy not to negotiate with hostage-takers, and Hansen's wife was killed."

Spock stiffened. "Which Federation ambassador was in charge of the mediation?"

"Sarek of Vulcan," Ambassador Chan said.

Kirk muttered "Damn" as McCoy muttered "It figures," but Chan continued speaking, "That may be why he decided to blame Vulcans for all his troubles, though really, any Federation ambassador would have done exactly the same thing."

Spock exhaled. "Any Federation ambassador would have done the same thing, but perhaps not in the same way. A human ambassador would undoubtedly have sympathized with Mr. Hansen and apologized for the unfortunate effects of this particular policy, whereas Sarek would merely have told him that the policy was logical."

Ambassador Chan looked at Spock curiously. "I've worked with Sarek before, and you're right, that's probably what he did. You know Vulcan's ambassador, then?"

Spock's face hardened. "Sarek is my father."

Ambassador Chan's mouth dropped open for a moment before she regained her composure. "Ah," she said, looking at Spock. "So that's why Hansen was so set on using _you_ as a test case."

"Indeed."

Kirk took a step toward the ambassador. "You said Hansen told you about this episode with his wife during the interview?"

Chan nodded. "He said that what happened to his wife made him realize the importance of negotiation, of nipping conflicts in the bud before they progressed to open war. He said it had all given him an appreciation for the difficulty of an ambassador's job and how much we needed good help."

Kirk looked skeptical. "He was plausible?"

"Very plausible," Ambassador Chan said. "An ambassador's staff has to put up with an enormous amount of frustration, but they get very little of the glory or privilege that ambassadors get. When hiring staff, we deliberately look for someone who has a sense of mission, who has a personal reason for wanting to work on negotiations. The kind of person who just wants a job or who thinks it will be glamorous generally doesn't last very long."

McCoy tilted his head to one side. "It sounds to me like he knew just what to say to you to get you to give him the job."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "One wonders if he had coaching from your existing staff."

The ambassador nodded her head grimly. "That's looking all too probable." She looked down for a moment, took a deep breath, then looked back up. "I think my first order of business will be to hire a security firm to do an in-depth investigation of _all _of my staff - what organizations they belong to, who they associate with, who they've known since they were born." She sighed. "I prefer to trust my employees, but it's become clear that this is no longer a wise policy."

Spock nodded at the ambassador. "My father appreciated the maxim 'Trust but verify.'"

"With opponents, of course. I had hoped not to treat my employees as opponents, but I no longer have that luxury. I suppose I never did." She swallowed and lifted her head, clearly putting on her ambassadorial dignity, then spoke in a more formal tone. "I regret that my naiveté has enabled my employee to cause you harm."

Spock inclined his head. "The harm to me is transitory; it is fortunate that this lesson cost so little."

Ambassador Chan nodded back. "I appreciate your graciousness." She turned to Kirk and McCoy. "If that is all, gentlemen, I'll retire to my room now. I'll let you know the results of the security check once it has been completed."

Kirk smiled charmingly. "We appreciate that, Ambassador. Although the threat to my First Officer is over, the threat to Vulcan remains, and any information you dig up will be welcome."

Chan nodded, then left the room.

Spock said, "If you gentlemen will excuse me, I will also retire. I require substantial meditation in order to replenish my telepathic energies."

"Hold on a minute, and I'll walk with you," Kirk said. He turned to McCoy. "Bones, can you call Sarek back and let him know his son's not dead? And can you examine Hansen and see if there's any insanity present or if he's fanatical but sane?"

"I'll take care of it, Jim," McCoy said.

Kirk and Spock left Sickbay and walked down the corridor towards the turbolift. Once they were inside it, Kirk said "Deck 5," then turned to Spock. "I know you don't like to display any weakness in front of McCoy, but I need to know your state in some detail. How are you really?"

Spock allowed himself to slump slightly. "I am considerably fatigued, which I find illogical. Rationally, I should feel fatigue only when using telepathic energy, which I am not currently attempting."

Kirk smiled fondly at his friend. "Spock, there was a parasite in your brain, _eating your mental energy_. I think it's completely reasonable that you feel tired. Anyone else would be not just exhausted but traumatized by the experience." He raised a hand to forestall the protest he feared would follow his words. "I know you're a Vulcan, and I'm sure you'll tell me that they don't do psychological trauma. But the doctor prescribed rest, and your captain orders you to rest, so you don't have to think about whether or not it's logical; just do it."

Spock spoke mildly. "Resting when depleted is only logical, Captain. I will follow your order, but I assure you that it is superfluous."

* * *

Early the next morning, the senior officers of the _Enterprise_ gathered around the long table in the conference room to discuss the situation.

Kirk called the meeting to order, then turned to Spock. "Report on the mindworm?"

The meditation had clearly done Spock a lot of good, since he appeared rested and energetic once more. "I have surveyed the entire ship, and the mindworm is not in evidence. I conclude, then, that the one who attacked me is gone. I wonder, however, about the existence of others."

"Others?" Kirk said. "If Hansen had others, shouldn't you have been able to detect them?"

"Ordinarily, I would have been able to detect the one that Hansen used to attack me, but I did not. This suggests that he and his conspirators have discovered a way to shield mindworms from detection until they wish to use them."

"Damn!" Kirk thought for a moment. "Are there any substances that block telepathic energies? Is there a mineral or a metal or something that Hansen could make a container out of, one that would make the mindworm undetectable?"

"I know of no such substance," Spock said, "But I infer that one has been invented or discovered, or Mr. Hansen could not have brought the mindworm onto the ship without detection."

Kirk frowned. "Then you could be attacked at any time, without warning."

"Since mindworms cannot travel through space, I could only be attacked by a mindworm that had been deliberately brought aboard the _Enterprise._ Was Mr. Hansen searched when he was confined to the brig?"

Kirk looked at Sulu and Chekov. "Was he?"

Sulu cleared his throat. "Of course, Captain. He had a small box, made out of some kind of strange stone, which we confiscated. Chekov scanned it with a tricorder, and it seemed empty."

Kirk turned to Chekov. "Report of your tricorder scan, Mr. Chekov?"

Chekov put a small stone box on the conference table. "Tricorder readings show the box is composed of an unknown mineral, very dense. I've never seen anything like it."

Kirk held up a hand. "DON'T open the box." He turned to Spock. "Before McCoy force-fed you chocolate, we weren't even sure if the rumors about Vulcans and chocolate were true. Now we know that they are, but force-feeding you chocolate during a dangerous situation could be ... cumbersome. Do you happen to know what the active ingredient in chocolate is? What is it that knocks out your telepathic centers?"

"Phenethylamine," Spock said. "It is a natural monoamine alkaloid that functions as a neuromodulator or neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. It belongs to a class of substances, all of which have psychoactive properties."

McCoy grinned teasingly. "It's also sometimes called 'the love chemical.' I should have known that Vulcans would be allergic to it."

Kirk waved his hand. "Not now, Bones! Can you make up several hypos, each containing the amount of phenethylamine that was in the chocolate you fed Spock last night?"

"Sure, nothing could be simpler. How many do you want?"

Kirk counted on his fingers. "Make up a dozen. I'll want Spock to have two on him at all times. In addition, I want each of us here to carry one, plus four for the security team we'll be taking with us eventually." Kirk looked around the table at each of the officers seated there. "If any one of you finds Mr. Spock unconscious at any time, I expect you to inject him with your hypo immediately."

Nods all around, and murmurs of "Of course, Captain."

"Jim," McCoy said.

"Yes, Bones?"

"The chocolate wasn't the only treatment we applied last night. I don't know if the rest of it was necessary or not, but Spock did get slightly closer to consciousness, even before we force-fed him the chocolate."

Spock looked at Kirk and raised a questioning brow.

Kirk turned slightly red. "Before we thought of the chocolate, we were trying to appeal to your human side in any way possible. We tried a lot of things, grasping at straws."

"Given that you saved my life, I am in no position to object to any treatment you may have attempted, yet it appears that you are embarrassed. Of what, exactly, did this treatment consist?"

Kirk tamped down his embarrassment and focused on the fact that his First Officer was alive. "I held your hand and talked about our friendship. I called your name and asked you to come to consciousness. I, uh, I asked Nurse Chapel to kiss you, and I asked Dr. McCoy to insult you."

"And one more thing," McCoy said slowly, his drawl especially apparent. "After Chapel kissed you, she told Jim that he was closer to you than she was and suggested that _he _kiss you ... so he did."

Spock turned to Jim with a softly teasing look. "I am ... impressed by your inventiveness. Although I believe the phenethylamine was the medically active ingredient in your therapeutic regimen, I repeat that I have no objections to a treatment that saved my life." He raised a teasing brow. "I suggest that you begin with an injection of phenethylamine if I am attacked again and add the other elements of your treatment only if the hypo is ineffective."

Kirk chuckled. "A hypo is faster and less trouble, so I'll follow that recommendation, Mr. Spock." He turned to McCoy. "Have you had a chance to examine Hansen, Bones?"

"I have, and there's nothing medically wrong with him. He's an idiot, but he's legally sane."

"He's up to a mind meld, then?"

"Medically, yes. Given the way he feels about Vulcans, you'll need to restrain him for it, but it shouldn't cause him any harm."

"All right," Kirk said. "I don't want Spock melding with Hansen until we have those hypos handy, just in case Hansen has another mindworm that we didn't manage to detect. So, Bones, you go make up those hypos and distribute them as soon as they're ready. Spock, you mind-meld with me so that you can witness Hansen's confession, so you'll be ethically in the clear to force an interrogation on Hansen. The rest of you, mind the Bridge for us."

The crew scattered to do Kirk's bidding, as Spock swiveled his chair and raised his hand toward Kirk's face. "Whenever you are ready, Captain," he said.

Kirk nodded. "Do it."

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* * *

Sorry for the delay in updating this. I have a chronic illness, which limits how much I can do. I do intend to finish every story I begin, though ... eventually. :-)

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